You know that first warm day, when you know that winter is finally over and you can breathe a sigh of relief? Well, that's not going to happen this year because, we've had our first warm days--tomorrow is going to be about as warm as it got last summer--but we allllll know that it's not going to last and we might just be smacked in the face with snow yet. It's very confusing. Do I take out the summer clothes and put away the winter sweaters? Have both sets out? Not do anything until it sorts itself out? Climate change and El Nino make things very confusing.

I'm just going to enjoy the warm weather for the next couple days, but I'm trying not to get too attached to it.

Espinacas con Garbanzos (Spinach and Chickpeas)

From Smitten Kitten:

One of the reason I blended recipes was because I wanted the approachability of Ximena’s version but also some of the extras in Moro’s — the vinegar, paprika and the fried bread, mashed to a paste. Except, in hindsight, I think I’d also enjoy this recipe without the bread. It would be a bit thinner and saucier and possibly harder to slop onto a piece of toast, but also a bit lighter — in weight, not just calories. If you’re bread-averse or think you’d enjoy it without the crumbs in the sauce, give it a spin and let us know how it goes.

Tomato sauce, by the way, is emphatically not traditional in this dish but after making Ximena’s version with it — she says “you don’t have to use tomato in this recipe, but it’s so much better with it” — I can’t have it any other way.

Last note: This recipe is flexible. If you end up with a little less spinach or a little more sauce, or if you want it with a little less this or a little more that, so be it. Enjoy it. Have fun with it.

• 1/2 pound (230 grams) dried chickpeas, cooked until soft and tender or two 15-ounce cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 6 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound (450 grams) spinach, washed
• A hefty 1-inch slice from a country loaf or about 2 slices from sandwich loaf bread (2.5 ounces or 75 grams), crusts removed and cut inset small cubes
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) tomato sauce, or whatever
  
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon juice, to taste

1. Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add half the olive oil. When it is hot, add the spinach with a pinch of salt (in batches, if necessary) and stir well. Remove when the leaves are just tender, drain in a colander and set aside.
2. Heat 2 more tablespoons olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the bread for about 5 minutes or until golden brown all over, then the remaining tablespoon of oil and the garlic, cumin and pepper. Cook for 1 minute more or until the garlic is nutty brown.
3. Transfer to a food processor, blender or mortar and pestle along with the vinegar, and mash to a paste. Return the mixture to the pan and add the drained chickpeas and tomato sauce. Stir until the chickpeas have absorbed the flavors and are hot. Season with salt and pepper.
4. If the consistency is a little thick, add some water. Add the spinach and lemon juice and cook until it is hot. Check for seasoning and serve with paprika on top, or on fried bread toasts (as the Spanish do).

RESULTS: this is definitely making it into the rotation. I included Smitten Kitten's notes at the top. Those of you who are trying to avoid gluten, you can definitely make this without it. Jean did and she said it was great. Other than the thrill of having my food look just like the picture posted on the website, I'm not sure that the bread contributed much to it.

Personally, I wouldn't bother making this if you don't have smoked paprika. There'd be no point, for me. Feel free to disagree!

Variations I can think of would include bacon or other cured meats, onions, different green leafies, replacing or augmenting the beans with small cubed potatoes,... anything as long as it would go with smoked paprika. :)

Kale Crisps with vinegar

I may be obsessed.

• 1 bunch Organic Kale
• 2 TBS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Vinegar, Apple Cider or Balsamic
• 1/2 - 1 tsp Salt, kosher or sea salt

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Rinse kale and pat dry with a paper towel. Cut off stems and tear leafs off of the rib. Throw away the center rib pieces and set aside.
3. In a large bowl whisk together oil, vinegar and salt and add the Kale. Gently toss.
4. Put parchment paper on two baking sheets and divide kale among them. Bake for 15-17 minutes until crispy. (I would say less time, say 13 minutes.)
   

RESULTS: I baked the previous batch of kale chips on a silicone mat, even though the recipe said to use parchment paper. I didn't quite get the desired cripsiness, they seemed to get moer shriveled than crisp, and at the time I wondered if it could have been the fault of the mat-for-paper substitution. This time, in the interest of science (and because one of my mats was being used for soda bread and I didn't have enough parchment paper for two sheets), I decided to line one sheet with paper and one with the mat. First I have to say that, regardless of which one you use, PLEASE stand back when you open the oven. This recipe had vinegar in it and vaporized vinegar pouring out with the steam when you open the oven is not pleasant on the eyes. Trust me.

Anyway, there was a real difference. The silicone chips were simultaneously crispy and soggy. It's hard to explain. But the paper must absorb the moisture as the kale bakes, so the parchment ones didn't have any moisture clinging to them. On the other hand, some of the parchment crisps were boarder-line burnt. So that's why I would recommend a shorter time.

I'm not sure I'm a big fan of the vinegar. It's not bad, but it didn't do a whole lot for me. I guess it depends on your feelings about vinegar. It might also still be a bit salty for my taste. They're still less salty than potato chips, but saltier than I would normally eat kale. My tongue is confused.

K, I didn't eat all of these right away, so I put some in a tupperware just to see what would happen. I tested after a couple hours, and they were soggy already. So I would say no to the tupperware, but I'm not sure how to store leftovers. Let me know if you figure anything out.

American Bread Scones

Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, stolen from Smitten Kitten, submitted by Bethie

Smitten Kitten notes: I adapted the original recipes into mini-breads (that I like to call scones) but this recipe will also work as a whole loaf, with a 40 to 45 minute cooking time. However you do or do not divide them, like all soda breads, you should plan to consume these on day one. On day one, they’ve got a craggy crust and a warm, plush interior; they love butter and you love them. On day two, they have a density, especially when your big toe breaks their fall, that could threaten your efforts to reign in your foul language now that tiny, impressionable ears linger about.

Yields 8 mini-bread “scones” which are fairly hefty, and can be split between two people

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for work surface
• 1 cup cake flour (or, make your own)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon table salt (this is 2/3 the original amount, which I found too salty)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (4 tablespoons softened, 1 tablespoon melted)
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk (or, make your own)
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1 cup currants or raisins
• 1 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional)

Heat oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the upper-middle position. Whisk dry ingredients (flours, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt) in a large bowl. Work the softened butter into the dry ingredients with a fork, pastry blender or your fingertips until the flour mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the wet ingredients (buttermilk and egg), currants or raisins and caraway seeds, if you’re using them, and stir with a fork until the dough just begins to come together. Turn out onto a work surface (CI says you need a floured one but I didn’t agree) and knead until the dough just becomes cohesive and bumpy. You’re not going for a smooth dough — CI warns that this will make it tough.

Pat dough into a round and use a knife or dough divider to cut it into 8 wedges. Form each wedge into a round and place on a parchment-lined or greased baking sheet. Cut a cross shape into the top of each. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 170 degrees (this is especially helpful in this recipe, where doneness is hard to judge from the outside). Scones should be golden brown a skewer should come out clean. Remove from the oven and brush with butter before cooling to room temperature. Eat on day one.

RESULTS: And so ends the Soda Bread Cookoff of 2010. Bethie sent me this recipe. I really like the scone aspect of this recipe. Although Smitten Kitten cautions that these must be eaten the same day they're made, I'm going to wrap them individually in foil, put them in a ziplock bag and freeze them for later. We never get through a soda bread without me getting sick of it by the end, and this way I can save some love for later in pre-portioned units. However, I gotta say, these really didn't turn out much different than the Bisquick biscuits we used to make as kids (just adding milk to Bisquick and ta-da!). I think I actually prefer the denseness of traditional soda bread. But the question is, what made these turn out Bisquicky? I suspect it may have something to do with the cake flour or the Cream of Tartar. I plan on investigating both. Or, I may simply have made them wrong. Either way, I'm very happy for the cooking times and temperature to convert soda bread into scones, and I plan to do so in the future.

EDIT: I just now realized that I had forgotten to add the sugar, which could account for it's Bisquicky-ness. Oh well!

From Smitten Kitchen, contender #1.

• Butter for greasing pan plus 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 eggs, well beaten
• 1 1/2 cups raisins or currants
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• Good aged Cheddar cheese, for serving
• Tart apples, cut into slices, for serving.

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch oven-proof skillet and line with parchment or waxed paper. (Deb note: Mine came out a bit taller, as my cast-iron is 8-inches and deep.)
2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk, eggs and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir until just combined. Do not overmix. Stir in the raisins or currants and caraway seeds.
3. Pour batter into skillet. Brush top with remaining butter. Bake until golden and firm to touch, about 1 hour. Cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving with Cheddar and apples.

RESULTS:
Yuuuuuuummm. This turned out, for me, to be far less dense than normal soda bread. It was fluffy! I used my 10-inch dutch oven than an iron skillet, so that might something to do with the fluffiness. I dunno. I replaced the raisins (ick!) with craisins. Much better. I've also decided never to buy buttermilk again. I just replaced the buttermilk with half milk and half plain yogurt.

I've fallen behind with both cooking and writing about cooking, which is sad because I got a few cookbooks for Christmas and I've been dying to dig in. Sigh! You know when you're running, and you stub your toe and trip, and then you sort of do this fall/stumble thing, when you sort of run out of control while pinwheeling your arms as you catch your balance? That's been my life lately. I haven't fallen, but I haven't caught myself yet. This isn't permanent busyness, but it's looking pretty long-term from here. :) I reap what I sow! That'll learn me for not figuring out how to say no.

Kale Chips

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch kale
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt.
3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.

Results:
Amaaaaaaaziiiing! Go easy on the salt. For some reason I thought the recipe called for kosher salt, which definitely is not the best choice since the salt won't dissolve as it would in a sauce or soup or something. Other recipes call for grated cheese, which would be fun, too.

Hey, I bought new car! My first new car ever. It's a Ford Fusion, and apparently I actually like driving when I'm reasonably certain of getting from A to B. It's an unfamiliar feeling, I'm not sure what to make of it.